You're finished, club tells King

Premier League footballer Marlon King was facing the end of his playing career today after being jailed for 18 months for breaking a young woman’s nose after she spurned his “disgusting” advances.

The 29-year-old Wigan Athletic striker – who has 13 previous convictions including one for violence against women – was sacked by his club yesterday within an hour of being found guilty for the outburst of “completely gratuitous violence” in a West End nightclub.

London’s Southwark Crown Court heard the father of three, who had downed several drinks celebrating his wife’s pregnancy and scoring a winning goal earlier, launched the “unprovoked” attack on the 20-year-old after groping her bottom and repeatedly being “cold-shouldered” by women in the packed Soho Revue Bar.

When the “slightly built” university student “recoiled” from his touch, £5m-rated King lost his temper and smashed her to the floor.

Two other revellers – one actually holding his arm – were also sent flying.

As his victim was helped to her feet, blood poured from her shattered nose and cut lip.

King, from Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, who will now lose more than £1m (€1.1m) following the termination of his £35,000-a-week contract, claimed he was the victim of “mistaken identity”.

But the jury took just under four hours to convict him by a 10-2 majority of sexually assaulting the 20-year-old and causing her actual bodily harm last December.

As King sat in the cells waiting to be driven to prison, Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan announced King had been sacked.

He said: “We have to follow the rules and regulations, which means we will have to give him 40 days’ notice that his contract will be cancelled.

“He is absolutely sacked – we will not tolerate football players who get sent to jail for 18 months. As far as we are concerned, he is finished with football at Wigan Athletic.”

Mr Whelan added: “It will be very, very difficult for any club to stick their neck out and take Marlon on. I cannot really see him coming back as a professional.”

King served five months behind bars in 2002 after being caught at the wheel of a stolen BMW, while he has found himself in the dock on seven previous occasions for dishonesty, motoring offences and violence against women.

His agent Tony Finnegan said plans for appeals against both King’s sentence and his sacking were in place and expressed disappointment at Wigan’s decision and the failure of the Professional Footballers’ Association to support the striker.

The player, branded “arrogant” by Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith, was told that in addition to jail he would have to register as a sex offender for seven years, pay £3,125 (€3,491) Compensation to his victim and £1,800 (€2,010) prosecution costs.

As he was led to the cells, several of his supporters stormed from court swearing.

One, pointing at the judge, screamed: “This is a clear case of institutional racism. You should not be up there. Up the National Front. Heil Hitler.”

Another, referring to footballer Steven Gerrard’s acquittal for affray, shouted “Look at you. You are all white. Steven Gerrard is still walking the streets.”

As his still-swearing supporters shouldered their way past other court users and left the building, the mood turned increasingly nasty.

Several waiting journalists were confronted amid shouts of “move your camera - you got your bit”.

King, impassive when found guilty, sat open-mouthed, as the judge told him he had drunk “more than you should have” as he approached his victim, groped her bottom and fondled two other women.

Despite clearly wanting nothing to do with him, and “politely” inviting him to leave “you weren’t prepared to be ignored”.

After boasting he was “a multi-millionaire” and insisting the student was not in his league, “you lost your temper and punched her hard in the face”, shattering her nose and cutting her lip.

Then, helped by the nightclub who rated him a good customer, he did his “best to avoid any responsibility for what you had done”.

“You have shown not a hint of shame at your disgraceful and arrogant behaviour. It was wholly unprovoked.”

King was on loan at Premiership rivals Hull at the time of the attack. He returned to Wigan in the summer and has made three appearances for the club in the league this season.